Story by Sydney Sachs, ssachs@abcrmc.org
Denver, CO – March 29, 2019 – Twenty-one teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide put their construction project leadership skills to the test during the Associated Builders and Contractors’ annual Construction Management Competition at ABC Convention 2019 in Long Beach, California, on March 24-28. The four-person teams, which were assigned to complete the same construction management project over two days, received awards in five categories at the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony at the convention’s conclusion. They were judged on project management, safety, quality control, estimating and presentation skills.
ABC Rocky Mountain Chapter’s competition team, comprised of members of the ABC Student Chapter at Colorado State University (CSU), won first place overall in the competition. The CSU competition team members, from CSU’s Department of Construction Management are Jack Jambor (Team Captain), Sean Furst, Chris Martin, Wade Sousa and Zac Frazier (alternate). They were accompanied by CM Faculty Advisor Jon Elliott as well as outgoing ABC Member Liaison Mike Menke and incoming Liaison Ty Eberhardt, both with FCI Constructors, Inc.
The team placed as follows:
• First Place – Project Management and Scheduling
• First Place – Quality Control
• Second Place – Safety
• First Place Overall
“It is exciting and inspiring to experience the level of passion that is exhibited by all of the CMC teams,” says Mike Menke, ABC Member Liaison. “These students fully dedicate themselves to sharpening and developing their tools for the future all while carrying out the Merit Shop philosophy. Congratulations Jack, Zac, Sean, Wade, and Chris, [and our competition team redshirts] Justin, Wyatt, Jeff, and Ashley on your win in the most real-world construction management competition in the nation! Be proud of all of your hard work and thank you to everyone in the Rocky Mountain Chapter for your support. The industry’s future is bright.”
This annual competition, designed to challenge knowledge, organization, time management and presentation skills, gives the nation’s top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction. All participants are active members of the ABC National Student Chapter Network, which connects local ABC chapters to colleges and universities with construction management programs to work toward the ultimate goal of building the talent pipeline and mentoring future leaders of the construction industry.
For the competition, the team worked to put their bid together up until the competition in Long Beach. They had to be prepared to adjust their work based on project changes given to them. On day one of the competition, all the teams were given a change order, had to update their project proposals, and were given a 50-question written exam. Based on those updates, the finalists were chosen. The second day the finalist teams presented their projects.
The project for this year’s competition focused on the District Edgewood High School Event Center and Sports Complex, a new 14,202-square-foot, single-story event center building in West Covina, California. The project’s site improvements included the demolition of an existing 25×25 meter pool, decks and buildings, and the installation of a competition pool and aquatics facilities.
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 70 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work.
The Department of Construction Management is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences
